That night, as Jess crawled into bed in the dark room, she hoped she’d find Mike turned toward her, having moved his pillow into the center of their king bed. She wanted him to reach up and tuck a lock of hair behind her ear and say, “Hi there.” And she would say, “Hi,” in her best sultry voice.
But he was firmly on his own side of the bed with his back turned to her. They lay in the quiet room while Jess bit her lip and willed him to flip over, but he didn’t. And she didn’t know how to ask without risking rejection. That would only serve to make things more awkward tomorrow, and that was the last thing they needed right now. They needed to ease their way into a united front. Them against the world, like it used to be. In the end, she decided to say, “Good night. Congratulations on the Lawson account.”
“Thanks,” he said, his tone somewhat gruff, as if he had suddenly remembered he was supposed to be mad at her. “Have a good sleep.”
* * *
“When Grandma and Grandpa get here, I don’t want either of you to say anything about how Grandma’s mouth looks,” Mike told the kids for the second time.
“We know, you already told us,” Noah said.
“And you didn’t really need to,” Winnie added. “We’re not idiots.”
“I’m not saying you’re idiots.” Mike looked up from the potato he was peeling. “It’s just that you might be surprised at how she looks and I don’t want her to feel bad.”
“Wait,” Noah said, wrinkling up his nose. “She’s not going to drool when she eats, is she?”
Mike sighed and closed his eyes, and Jess was glad she could come to the rescue. “No, she’s not going to drool. Her mouth is just a little bit lopsided. She’s getting better and it’s not a big deal, so we’re all going to act like everything is normal so we don’t make her feel uncomfortable, okay?”
“Okay, but is it all right if you don’t seat me right across from her?” Noah asked. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to eat.”
“Oh for…” Mike dropped the potato peeler onto the counter.
Jess gave Noah a warning look. “Enough. Now go tidy up your room before everyone gets here.”
“I’ll just shut the door.”
“No, tidy it up,” Jess told him.
“But I don’t even want anyone to go in my room.”
“Noah! Go tidy up your damn room,” Mike barked. “Or you lose screens for the rest of the holiday.”
Noah disappeared, and Winnie followed, clearly realizing that if she was out of sight, she was far less likely to be asked to help. As soon as they were gone, Jess rolled her eyes at her husband and imitated Noah’s newly-deep voice, “But I don’t even want anyone to go in my room.”
Mike chuckled and shook his head. “I wonder if I was that much of a dipshit when I was seventeen?”
“No,” Jess answered in a mock-serious tone. “Not you.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I was born this mature.”
They shared another laugh, and then got back to work. An hour later, the bulk of the prep work was done. Jess got started on washing the bowls, measuring spoons, and other utensils they used while Mike wiped down the counter tops. He grabbed a dish towel and came to stand next to her. “T-minus thirty minutes until the guests start arriving. Should we start drinking now or…”
Jess grinned up at him, handing him a wooden spoon she just rinsed. “Maybe we wait a bit so we’re not hammered by the time we have to carve the turkey.”
“That could be dangerous.” His eyes sparkled as he looked at her, and for the first time in what felt like forever, they were them again. “You’re not just another pretty face, you know.”
“Aww, sweet talker,” Jess said, glancing at his mouth.
He leaned in and gave her a peck on the lips, sending a thrill all the way to her toes. “I had no idea how fun it would be to make a Thanksgiving feast with you.” Putting on a smirk, he added, “You really should have suggested this whole working together thing years ago.”
Jess growled at him, but kept the grin on her face. She plunged her hands back into the delightfully warm soapy water feeling positively buoyant about how things were going. This felt very much like the turning point she’d been craving. She knew it was just a matter of time before her family warmed up to the idea of her new career path. And maybe that time had finally come.
20
“Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.”
~ George Burns
